Lazy Actors Need Not Apply

I've had the opportunity to be a director this year on a few occasions and I'm noticing a common theme with actors: Laziness.  Maybe that's too harsh of a word, but actors are simply not putting in the work.  With being an actor myself, I'm trying to make sense of this.  I understand the hustle part of this business.  Especially in NY and if you don't have an agent. You're always running around looking for the next gig, months go by...no gig...submit like crazy...still no gigs.  Then all of a sudden you book multiple gigs and of course they all go up or shoot around the same time.  We wouldn't dare turn down any opportunity to work so we say yes to all the gigs that come our way, forgetting that each gig requires it's own 'time'.  You gotta prepare for these roles! Or at least you should.  As an actor I understand not wanting to turn down gigs, believing that I'll have the time to put in for each role, but as a director I could care less.  All I know is that you're showing up unprepared, constantly on your phone, not fully committed, haven't made not one solid choice for your character and/or you get a simple direction and you're completely thrown off.   I'm not thinking about all the other productions you have or how many "hats" you chose to wear.  All I know is that I most likely wouldn't have you on any production I'm a part of in which I have a say in who is cast. I now fully understand why directors work with the same people.  It's a trust factor.  I'm an actor first, so I know what it is to get a direction that may not resonate with me, but I respect the director and find a way to make it work.  Depending on the relationship I may respectfully explain where I was coming from in hopes of finding a common ground. If that's not an option, I suck it up and do everything I can to give the director what he/she wants.  Maybe I'm just making this a way bigger situation than what it really is.  Maybe the business has moved into fully accepting mediocrity (thank you reality tv).  Whatever the  case may be, I'm not going to accept that for my own work ethic. I will continue to treat every project like I'm getting paid the big bucks, so when I finally do get those dollars, I won't be thrown off by the work needed to be put in.  

Not really feeling you...

Man oh man! It's been an interesting couple of months. I've learned a lot.  I had an agent and a manager, dropped both and ended up with a new agency.  That whole process was such a learning experience.  It taught me about myself, what I want for me and my career.  I learned that it's imperative that I'm mindful about the team I'm building, even at this level.  The agent that I professionally parted ways with had no idea of my work, didn't ask for a monologue and refused to submit me for theater.  I said o.k., like 99.9% of actors would because we just want to say we have representation and hope by some miracle the auditions will start flooding in.  I'm glad it was just a verbal agreement to "test" the waters, so that's why I said yes, lets try this out. I mean no contract was signed.  But deep down down inside I knew he wasn't the kind of agent that screamed longevity.  I felt like I was there to just meet a quota.  I actually decided to part ways about 3 months in, when I actually forgot that I "had an agent".  That's never a good sign.  So I politely sent an email, he responded politely and that was that.  Now for the manager...we never met in person.  He was so busy with pilot season...I get it.  So we had a phone interview. He was very...what's the word...can't think of a single word so how about a phrase: He was very "you need me in order for your career to go anywhere".  That's never a good way to come at this actor.  I asked a simple question about my reel.  Sometimes as actors we think our package is awesome, and then someone else looks at it and gives up tips to make it better.  So I figured, why not ask someone who I might possibly work with what he thinks.  Because after all, I want to make sure I'm doing everything on my end to make sure I'm a bit easier to talk up to the CD's to give me a chance.  He proceeded to "lecture" me about how actors need to have more confidence in themselves and all this other crap.  Dude, I just asked for your opinion about my reel.  Whatever. I was ready to end the conversation with a thanks but no thanks when I was completely thrown when he asked us to freelance.  Am I bugging?  Were we on the same awkward phone call in which you talked and talked, asked me a question, cut me off and proceeded to talk some more?  You talked down to everything I was doing in my power to get ahead as an actor with no representation.  You were feeling yourself from beginning to end.  I think I said o.k. out of pure shock.  I remember ending the call thinking "WTF just happened".  But I never reached out again other than to tell him professionally that we need to part ways...a month after the phone interview.  I actually met my current agent at a seminar.  I know...I know.  Those pay-to-meets bring up all types of feelings.  But nevertheless, we met, had a meeting at her office a few weeks later, then we both agreed to work with each other.  It was very eye opening.  It let me know that there are agents who view actors as people.  Yes,  we are all out to make money, but freakin' treat me as a human being...please.  So there you have it folks.  Patience is key in this business.  Knowing what you want is key in this business.  Knowing your worth is key in this business! Until next time...stay focused and encouraged! 

Strategic patience

I can't believe that it's seriously November...tomorrow :)  Time has flew by.  This year has absolutely opened my eyes about the business side of things.  It's all about having a strategy, and having patience.  Two things that I did not have.  I'm not afraid to admit that.  I thought that having talent was enough.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of super talented people who aren't and will never be working actors.  That's the harsh reality of this business.  I love attending workshops with guest speakers who have the career that I'm striving to achieve.  Their stories are motivating and definitely have a similar tune.  Most, if not all, had experienced that time in their career where they were just about to give up.   They talked about the times in their journey where nothing, and I mean NOTHING was happening for them.  They would audition time after time and still nothing.  And I'm not just talking about months, for some there were years that went by and nothing.  It's crazy, but in a few stories they talked about being in those dull periods, being offered work, and turning down the work.  Now you may be thinking, 'Why the hell would an actor turn down work"?  Not until this year, did I understand why they did it.  They were trying to re-brand themselves.  It's the difference between only being called in for co-star roles to being called in for series regular roles.  If you keep accepting day player roles, that's all everyone will see you as.  And because they stood firm, and knew what they wanted out of their career, they are now reaping the benefits.  It's about having a plan and sticking to it.  It's about taking control of your career.  It's about having patience. I believe that having patience is easier when you have a plan in place.  Because you know that you're working, planting seeds day in and day out and it's just a matter of time before things begin to happen.   I'm determined to finish out 2015 strong and looking forward to 2016 and all of its many blessings!  Until next time...loving Jesus, life and every opportunity.  Follow me on Twitter & Instagram - @ShashoneLambert

Staying true to me!

It's been an interesting year to say the least.  Not in a bad way.  It just seems like nothing is going how I had planned.  Which is not a bad thing, it's a mind opening thing.  This thing called life is unbelievably unpredictable.  And not letting it get in the way of you reaching your goals is a fight, I will admit.  I'm pleased that I haven't let anything stop me from reaching my short term goals which are getting me closer to my long term goals.  Happy to say that I'm working with an agent now.  Praying that everything works with that.  However, agent or no agent my "hustle" is still the same.  I'll never feel comfortable putting my career in the hands of someone else.  I've realized that it's all about strategy and doing what works best for me.  I'm narrowing down on my "type" which is a word that quite honestly is very annoying to me.  Because everyone seems to have an idea of what an actors type is.  But, that's the business for you.  Everyone is going to have an opinion, but what matters is what you're comfortable with.  And ultimately I'm learning to keep my feelings out of things.  There's no room for feelings in this business.  I know that sounds terribly bad, but it's so true.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm now understanding the business side of acting more and more.  I wish I could give a defining moment when everything just clicked for me, but I can't.   I just now understand when people say  that talent is just not enough to make it.  It's all good. I used to be worried about how long it would take me to "make it".  Now...I'm just enjoying the journey.  Until next time...Loving Jesus, life and every opportunity.  Check me out on twitter & instagram - @ShashoneLambert

Motivation

I have to admit that title had me singing Kelly Rowland's song...lmbo. OK, back to business. So, it's that time of year again. The lack of motivation is masked by the holiday season, and things are put off until next year, seeing how it's only a little over a month away. But I think that every day counts in order to make great things happen. I'm definitely learning how to function with little to no sleep theses days lol. I figure when I do "make it", my schedule is going to be crazy, so why not start preparing myself now for the life I know is sure to come. I had the pleasure of seeing Angela Bassett in the Broadway play "The Mountaintop". I was in awe watching her effortlessly stroll across the stage and deliver lines you would think she wrote herself, because it seemed just that easy and real. That was motivation for me. I also had the opportunity to see Taylor Swift in concert. And although I'm not a singer, seeing thousands of her fans jumping up, screaming, singing along to every song was somehow motivation to me. To have people love you for doing what you love to do is...well...I can't even find the right word to describe it. I love performing, so I can get through working these stupid side jobs because I know that soon I won't have to worry about survival gigs. And that's a great feeling. So always find something that motivate you. And believe me, there's always something. No matter how small or weird it may seem, let it drive you and help you to stay on your road to greatness. Until next time...Loving God, life and every opportunity!

My purpose

So I performed a piece written by Crystal Shaniece Roman of Shaniece Entertainment last night at Monolodge. At the end, a gentleman pulled me to the side and thanked me for helping him to begin his healing process as he began to share with me his experience with child molestation (which my piece is about) I thank God for allowing me to see two things:

1. That my hard work will not go in vain
2. That He can & will use my passion for acting to help change people's lives

For this, I will never again feel the need to explain why I work the way I do and I will never give up. As actors/artists sometimes we can forget that it's bigger than us. Art has a way of crossing over any race, language, and all other barriers. I'm all about not doing unpaid projects, but once in a while we should step back and see that somethings you can't put a price on. And changing someone's life is definitely on that list. See you on the red carpet :)

Houston we have a problem...and it's ME!!!!

A brand new year with brand new opportunities! As with everybody my motivation somehow shoots through the roof as the new year approaches. I read the FB statuses, the tweets of my fellow actors and everybody is on the same page. They're going hard in 2011. And somehow before February hits, things slowly begin to change. Reality sets in...oh, I might have to REALLY work for this. I'm always hearing "hard work pays off". But what happens when you think you're working as hard as you can and you don't see the results that you want? My answer is you evaluate what you consider hard work, change some things that aren't working, and work harder. For me, I realized I wasn't taking risks. I was always playing it safe, especially in auditions. I also hate monologues so I would avoid auditions that consisted of having a monologue prepared. I didn't have clear goals. Despite what you may think "making it" is not a clear goal. Lastly, I wasn't having fun. I forgot how to enjoy the audition process, meeting new people, learning new things. Now, I am set. It's the middle of January and I'm still super motivated...lol I've fixed what I saw as the problems and now I feel I am back on track. Most importantly, I'm having fun. With everything that I do, I've never settled and my acting career will not be any different. I truly believe that hard work pays off. But, working hard and smart will pay off faster!!

Not convinced

You know I've come to realize that not every acting class is for me. I know you're on the edge of your seat trying to figure out how I came to this conclusion!! So, I'm gonna tell ya. There's a class for everything now. On-camera classes, off-camera classes, behind the camera classes, on the side of the camera classes...well you get the point. I can't help but wonder what actors before me did when these classes weren't available. Hmmm, let's see...they trained and performed. Simple enough. Yes, it's important to know how you look on camera, how to audition, how to cold read. But come on people, that's why you start off with the student films, the off-off-off broadway plays. That's why you go on as many auditions as possible because practice makes perfect. Even the A-list actors talk about some very embarrassing audition moments which means bad auditions are just going to happen, and going to an audition class is not going to stop that. Some actors take these classes as a substitution for a real acting technique class and I feel that disservices them. Maybe it's just me. What do you think?

Who needs morals when you're an actor??

So I recently turned down a role. It was a lead role in a feature film with pay!!! I turned it down because it required me to do some things that I was not comfortable with. Please keep in mind that none of these "things" were in the casting notice or explained at the audition. Even at this level, I feel the need to be a part of projects that I can be proud of. That doesn't mean clean cut because I'm all for playing gritty roles. But I know my limitations and I am comfortable with them. I don't feel the need to take gigs just to say I'm doing something. There are plenty of things that I can do while I'm between projects. My actions don't make me feel like I'm somehow less of an actress. Yes, I'm an entertainer. Yes, I'm not supposed to judge the character that I'm playing. But I'm a human being. I have a family. I will one day have children. I understand that these things are everlasting. I am in no way putting down the actress who will get that role. But that's why there's more than one person of my "type". What I won't do, I'm positive that someone else will jump at the chance to do it. It's not like I will never get the chance to be the lead in a feature film with pay. This world of entertainment will break you at any level if you let it. Know who you are. Set your limitations early on and stick to them. Most importantly be professional about it. I kindly let the director know through a phone call (not a text or email!!) I explained that had I known in detail about the role I would not have auditioned. He thanked me for my honesty and told me I was an amazing actress and he looked forward to working with me in the future! So my morals are in place, I gained another fan and a possible future gig!!!

RIP MJ

I must say that I am honestly still shocked about MJ's death. But if there was ever a doubt on what a true performer is...Michael Jackson was and still is all of that and more. He literally touched the world by doing something that he loved and had a passion for. My admiration for MJ has nothing to do with his personal life. People have many opinions on that, but I am standing my ground that he was still a great person, entertainer. So I end with this: How many lives will be changed by your talent?